


Reluctantly Family

by BonTheScottishVampire97



Category: Critical Role (Web Series)
Genre: Alternate Universe - Canon Divergence, Delilah likes to fluster her husband, F/M, Forced adoption, Kidnapping, More tags to be added, Non-Consensual Blood Drinking, Percy is terrified of Vex, Swearing, Sylas is tired, Vax being an idiot, non-consensual biting, non-sexual biting
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2020-11-29
Updated: 2020-11-29
Packaged: 2021-03-10 01:48:31
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Graphic Depictions Of Violence
Chapters: 1
Words: 3,436
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/27786256
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/BonTheScottishVampire97/pseuds/BonTheScottishVampire97
Summary: Vax'ildan knew he had messed up royally when he entered the guest room of the Briarwoods' after losing his invisibility, but he hadn't expected this.Now he has to navigate the challenges of becoming a Vampire while a very concerned Delilah Briarwood tries to take him in as her son.
Relationships: Delilah Briarwood/Sylas Briarwood
Comments: 2
Kudos: 16





	Reluctantly Family

**Author's Note:**

> Written for bonegirl321 on Tumblr.
> 
> This fic is tailored to my personal headcanons and is not accurate to the lore and mechanics of Critical Role or Dungeons and Dragons.

So Vax stumbled in on the Briarwoods inside their temporary bedroom.

He tried to talk his way out of it, digging up random things from his past and elaborating on them to try and guilt the Briarwoods into letting him go free.

While both fell for it, Sylas wasn't all that moved by the little story, mostly just craving a drink from Vax's blood, Sylas murmuring something about Vax smelling of flowers and cake, but Delilah was genuinely affected by Vax's tale.

Sylas, growing bored and unbearably thirsty, goes to bite Vax's neck but Delilah stops him, chastising her husband for being so rude.

Vax, confused and still rather concerned about getting murdered, tries to assure the couple he won't tell anyone of this if they let him go unharmed, but Delilah has already been charmed by this little Half Elf who seems so deeply sad.

Ignoring Vax, Delilah gives out at Sylas, Sylas rolling his eyes at his wife as Delilah goes on about how Vax deserves better than to be treated like a blood bag.

Even the still restrained Vax doesn't know what's going on, Sylas and Vax briefly sharing a confused look with each other as Delilah continues on her rant about how "poor Vax" was robbed of his childhood and deserved another chance at one with better parents.

Sylas, starting to see where his wife was going with this little spiel of her's, pales considerably and immediately starts to repeatedly tell her "No."

Delilah gives Sylas a look that has the Vampire wilter and fault for a minute before he starts talking again, Vax slowly looking between the pair and feeling even more confused now, unsettled too.

"We are not adopting the Half Elf, Delilah."

"Sylas, My Heart, shut up. We are adopting him."

"Delilah, _no._ "

"Delilah, _yes!_ "

This back and forth has Vax almost snorting - This was far from what he expected after what Percy had told him about the couple.

If he had known something like this would have occurred before heading in, he'd surely have disguised himself first to make his story even more believable.

But now he was stuck with a predicament - Delilah Briarwood genuinely planned on taking him back to Whitestone as her son.

Sylas did not seem thrilled at the idea, Vax very much on his side of the argument, but then Delilah pulled a face and both of the men knew that they were losing.

_"I always wanted children, Sy, please let me have this."_

Sylas instantly gives in, unable to handle seeing the sad look that's now overtaking Delilah's face, an exasperated sigh leaving him as he deflates.

"Alright! Alright! We'll adopt the Half Elf! Don't cry, Dee!"

Vax, gulping and chuckling quietly to himself, realises that he's officially trapped.

~~

Vex and Scanlan are arguing in a corner of one of Emon Castle's lounges, something about how Vax always gets himself into trouble, when they hear a very nervous Vax talking through their magical earpieces, as if on cue.

{My Lord, My Lady, I'm quite appreciative you care so much for a lowly boy such as myself, but I really don't wish to burden you with myself, I should get going and leave you to your things, my sister **Jenga** must be looking for me!}

Recognising their code word, Jenga, the two jump into action with a hiss.

_"Fuck!"_

Percy looks over, still disguised as Vax, and nods at them as he also hears what Vax says - Though confusion hits him at the words Vax uses, what on Exandria had the rogue gotten himself into now?

The trio start heading out of the room, signaling for Grog, Keyleth and Tiberius to follow them out.

~~

Back in the Briarwoods' room, Delilah was walking towards Vax with a gentle smile that was supposed to reassure the Half Elf.

"Oh, Darling, don't worry - You're no burden to us, please, let us look after you." She soothes.

Vax swallows, "I really do appreciate your kindness, My Lady, but I cannot accept it - I'm not worthy." He tries.

Delilah caresses Vax's cheek, unexpected understanding in her eyes, "Oh, my sweet boy, you are worthy of being loved and so much more." She sighs.

Vax can't reply, utterly stunned by Delilah.

Was she trying to charm him? What was this?

Sylas exhales, "Dee, _please_ , I'm so fucking thirsty."

His mouth was salivating at the thought of tasting the boy's blood, the scent of lavender and baked goods coming from Vax now on the verge of growing unbearable for the Vampire.

Vax glances back at Sylas, eyebrows knitting together as Delilah groans.

Then he remembers the blood bag comment Delilah made and his eyes widen.

"Be quick and only drink what you need, this is the only time you get to drink from him, Sy." Delilah sighs.

Vax tries to protest, but he's suddenly spun around and finds his head being shoved down awkwardly before fangs find themselves digging into the side of his neck, Sylas pressing his face into Vax's throat.

"Ah!!" Gasps Vax, white flashing in his vision for a split second as Sylas' fangs release venom into him.

Vax would never be able to explain the sensation he feels as Sylas drinks from his blood, his head going all fuzzy and light headed while a burning hot something seeps into his system.

Delilah watches as her newly adopted charge passes out in her husband's arms, rolling her eyes as Sylas drinks deeply.

"Don't you think that's enough, Dear?" She asks.

"He tastes _so_ good, Dee!" Sylas looks up and essentially whines at her, a deep red dripping down his chin like he was a kid messily eating cherries.

"He's our _son_ , now! Stop drinking his blood!" Delilah hisses back, swatting a hand at her husband as if the man were a cat.

Sylas groans but wipes his mouth off on his own sleeve, licking his lips hungrily.

"He tasted like _honey_ , Delilah, do you know how _rare_ that is?" He says, pretty much giving his wife sad puppy dog eyes now.

"Sylas, our _son_ is not a Vampire Capri Sun!" Delilah glares at him, crossing her arms with a stern face. (1)

Sylas gives a stout laugh, "He's hardly our son! He's some stupid spy or whatever who happened to stumble upon us, only spilling his life story to us so we wouldn't kill him!" He argues.

Delilah narrows her gaze, "He had no childhood! _Everyone_ deserves a childhood, Sylas!"

Sylas gives an exasperated gasp, "He's a grown man! Probably in his mid to late 20s! He's not a child anymore!" He tells her.

"Sylas, I brought you back into this world and I can smite you from it once more!" Delilah warns, wagging a finger at Sylas.

Sylas gives up, "You drive me mad sometimes, woman, you really do."

"Yeah, well, you drive me mad too, Sy." Delilah exhales, giving him a small and warm, loving smile.

Sylas returns it.

It's now that Vex'ahlia and Percival, still looking like Vax, burst into the room.

"BRIARWOODS, UNHAND MY BROTHER!!" Vex yells, quickly notching an arrow.

Percy aims for Delilah with his Pepperbox, "I'd do as she says if I were you."

The Briarwoods spin around and blink, Delilah making a face seeing the disguised Percy standing there.

_"There's two of them?"_ Sylas hisses to her, brows slanting downwards in confusion.

"Illusionary magic." Delilah huffs, waving a hand to cancel the illusion.

Percy and his shock of white hair is revealed, Bad News now noticeable on his back.

"Briarwoods." He deadpans.

"Ah, the pup lives." Sylas drawls out upon recognising Percy, smirking now.

"Well, _this_ is a surprise." Delilah muses, stepping closer to her husband.

"Unhand our friend, Sylas, or I _will_ shoot." Percy declares, tone empty.

"Oh, _whatever_ shall we do?" Delilah pulls a worried expression off flawlessly, a hand on Sylas' arm and another over her heart.

Sylas chuckles, "I haven't the _foggiest_ , My Dear."

Percy narrows his eyes at them, judging their actions.

They were doing something, he just knew it.

Scanlan and the others catch up now, panting as they dart in behind Vex and Percy, their eyes wide.

"Vax?!" Keyleth gasps, seeing her friend unnaturally pale, unconscious and bleeding from his neck.

Delilah's chest rumbles happily, feeling adrenaline rush through her now.

"Oh, this _has_ been fun." She trills softly, the hand over her heart growing warmer.

Sylas looks at her with love and admiration, "Yes, it _has._ "

"Don't. Move." Vex grits out, her arms shaking angrily.

Then, in a blink of an eye and with a flick of Delilah's wrist, Vox Machina is blinded by a very bright, green arcanic light.

 ** _"NO!!"_** Vex'ahlia screams, diving forwards and releasing her arrow instantly, her terrified heart now pounding ferociously.

The arrow embeds itself into a crack in the flagstones a little bit away, finding no flesh.

When the light fades away, Vax and the Briarwoods are gone without a trace.

"No! _No!! **VAX!!**_ " Vex panics, spinning around to look at the rest of her party.

Percy's shoulders sag, his Pepperbox slowly lowering to his side as he stares at the spot Sylas once stood in, his mouth going dry.

 _"Fuck..."_ He whispers.

The others just stare ahead in pure disbelief, fearing for Vax as the situation dawns on them properly.

The Briarwoods have Vax and they don't know what to do about it in the slightest.

A beat passes before Vex charges over to Percy, her bow lowered as she jabs him hard in the chest.

"What are they going to do to him, De Rolo?!" She demands, tears in her eyes.

Percy stammers, rightfully scared of the ranger, "I-I, I have no idea!" He says.

"Because if those assholes hurt my brother, Percy, I'll skin them! - **_And you!_ **Alive!" The Half Elf seethes, trembling not unlike a leaf during a really bad and extremely windy storm.

Vax was her whole world.

"And I'd expect no less!" Percy swallows, stepping back from his friend.

Keyleth speaks up.

"I think he _was_ injured already..." She says softly.

_**"What?!"** _

Everyone turns to look at the druid, Vex's eyes burning.

"Ah! U-uh! Hi-his neck seemed to be bleeding! I don't know the nature of the wound, or it's severity! But I swear I saw blood!" Keyleth stutters and chokes, flinching backwards.

Vex swings round to face Percy again, Percy throwing his hands up and backing himself into a table.

"Vex, they probably just tried to stun him so he couldn't run or scream!" He exclaims, heart racing.

He's genuinely scared of what the woman may do to him over losing her beloved twin to the Briarwoods.

"Percy _isn't_ the bad guy here, Vex! He wants Vax home safe and sound too!" Keyleth tries, squeaking when Vex shoots her a rather fierce glare.

"Maybe we should all calm down and discuss what we know?" Tiberius hums, tilting his head curiously.

He was genuinely lost and needed to be caught up, his head spinning wildly.

Vex gives a harsh laugh, "Talking won't bring my brother back, Tibbs!"

"No!" Scanlan jumps in, "But it'd help us figure out how we get Vax back!"

Vex sighs, hanging her head as the fight leaves her.

They were right.

But before she or anyone else could reply to Scanlan, another voice caught their attention and had them spinning back to face the doorway of the room.

 _"What in all of Tal'Dorei is going on here?!"_ Cries out a tired looking Uriel, guards flanking him on all sides.

"Your guests just kidnapped a member of Vox Machina, _that's_ what's happening." Percy deadpans.

"Percival? I thought you were home sick? Where did the Briarwoods go?! Where is Vax'ildan?!" Uriel makes a face, his head a foggy mess.

Percy sighs, "That wasn't Vax at your dinner table, it was _me_ pretending to be him, Vax was checking the Briarwoods out because I told him they were dangerous and up to no good," the man pauses to swallow.

"Now the Briarwoods have him hostage and are taking him _Gods_ knows where to do _Gods_ knows what to him, probably to torture him for answers back in Whitestone, knowing those two and their friends." He concludes.

The strangled noise Vex'ahlia makes at that rant sends Percy's heart skipping a terrified, stuttering beat.

"You mean to tell me you suspect the Briarwoods, _trusted friends of mine and this city_ , are plotting against me and my people?" Uriel seethes, eyes narrowing at Percy, "That they have taken _your rogue_ , who had come in here _unlawfully_ while suspecting them of such absurd plots, and plan on torturing him?" 

"I warned you about them before tonight, Uriel." The Human gunslinger says, standing his ground. "The Briarwoods are vile fiends who cannot be trusted." 

Uriel scoffs bitterly at him, "Really?! Because to me it seems like _you lot_ have allowed your reputation to get to your heads!'

"Accusing esteemed rulers of a fine city of treasonous plots, breaking into their room and playing _spies_ with little to no evidence of ill intent!" He waves his hand about as he speaks, his anger clear and burning.

Keyleth swallows, shrinking behind Grog and Tiberius as Uriel goes off at her friend.

"You seem to have forgotten who calls things around here, _Vox Machina_ , so let me remind you who's in charge of Emon." The Sovereign then snarls uncharacteristically before snapping his fingers together loudly.

"What are you doing?!" Scanlan chokes as some guards start grabbing at him and others push past him.

Keyleth gasps loudly as she is pulled away from Grog and Tiberius, her arms pulled behind herself.

Grog roars in confusion, "The fuck?!"

Vex's eyes widen as she stumbles away from a guard that approaches her.

"Uriel?!" She looks up at the man, disbelief in her voice as she's pulled forward and slammed against a table.

"I'm hereby placing you, _Vox Machina_ , under arrest for breaking and entering, spouting uncredited and hurtful rumours about members of the Tal'Dorei council, for impersonating a third party to infiltrate the castle, for brash and unlawful actions acted out under the council's name and for disturbing the peace!" The man declares.

Percy glares back as his hands are restrained behind his back, "You're making a great mistake, Uriel."

Uriel stares him down, "I have trusted you people to protect Emon, perhaps I was wrong to do so."

With that, the remaining members of Vox Machina are dragged away to the Emon City dungeons.

~~

When Vax'ildan next awoke, it was to his neck burning and his head pounding.

Groaning, he sits up with a hand to his forehead, his eyes squinting in the dark.

He's only wearing his dark grey tunic and black leggings that he keeps on under his armour and cloak, his braids undone and his prized hair beads missing.

He looks around, hazel eyes adjusting to the low light of the room as faint torchlight flickers in from under a door at the other end of the room and the soft moonlight spilling in from outside.

He's lying on a bed, over top of the covers with sweat making his face all clammy.

"The _fuck_?..." He hisses to himself, his other hand rubbing at his sore neck almost on autopilot.

He is not in the Keep, though the grey stone walls do create a sense of nostalgia for him.

The room, bland in decor, is a decent size with a simple desk, wardrobe and mirror.

The bed he's on is a four poster, big enough for two people, and has a silken-seeming canopy that's been tied back with a shiny looking rope.

Looking to his left, double wooden doors sit in the centre of the wall and are flanked by two steel-barred windows that hold no glass, the doors probably leading out to a balcony.

The wardrobe, a tall and chunky thing made of dark wood, and the mirror, tall but narrow, sit to his right.

Moonlight bounces off the mirror, pale light scattering across a dark red rug on the floor between the foot of the bed and the small desk, a cushioned stool just visible under the wooden object.

The door leading out to the hallway is to the right of the table, a small candelabra sitting, unlit, next to it on the desk, an empty vase too.

Vax awkwardly swings his legs off the side of the rather plush bed he's on, his foggy head spinning as he does.

He catches himself on one of the bed posts, taking in a sharp breath that makes the pain in his neck increase.

Wincing, he tries to push himself down onto his feet, his vision blurring before he is able to straighten up.

He wobbles unsteadily, still gripping onto the bed frame, his knuckles whitening.

"Where the hell am I?" He asks the air, making a face as nausea hits him, his eye catching sight of a little brass pot near his foot.

Groaning, Vax sits back down and shakes his head.

He feels hungover and wrecked, his body aching and unbelievably hungry.

"What happened?" He mutters, hands coming to rub at his eyes and temples.

He's feverish and ill, slowly falling back on the bed with a whine as his stomach growls and churns angrily.

Vax'ildan is feeling rough.

He breathes out shakily, opening his eyes again.

He tries to rack his brain for what transpired last - Something was missing and he didn't know what.

His stomach pangs, it's emptiness driving him mad.

He pulls himself into the middle of the bed, tucking his knees up under his chin as he hugs his own legs, curling up in the fetal position with a whimper and a teary-eyed grimace.

"What's wrong with me?..." Is the last thing Vax says before the thumping in his head slowly fades away, the world disappearing into black as Vax passes out.

~~

"De, that was too fucking close." Sylas sighs, sitting down in a dark oak and plush red velvet arm chair by their big canopy bed.

He's still fully dressed, his face now resting against his right hand as his left leg crosses over his right leg.

Delilah is currently stripped down to just a black velvet corset, a nude coloured body armour shirt that fits under the corset and some nude shorts while she sits at her small dressing table, the shorts and armour matching her complexion.

She's currently taking hair pins out of her bun, her face still with makeup on.

"Darling, we were fine." She says, angling her head a bit to check for more pins.

Sylas raises a brow, "If any of them had known how to counter spells and or had the ability to react fast enough-" he starts.

Delilah huffs, removing the last pin now and taking her hair brush to smooth her wavy brown locks down.

"Sy, Darling, you're insulting me with these 'What ifs'."

Sylas huffs, "Sweetheart, I'm being serious, if those bastards had been a minute faster we could have been fucked to kingdom come."

Delilah snorts, "Honey, you're _always_ fucked to kingdom come when I'm around." She teases.

Sylas finds himself flustering, clearing his throat as his hands move to rest in his lap as he sits up straight.

 _"Delilah..."_ He whines.

Delilah just grins at her own reflection, brushing her hair free of any knots that had formed over the past few hours, satisfied with herself.

Chuckling, she continued, "Besides, those kids have nothing on us - Though I was surprised to see young Percival there, he must be, what? 24? 25? Something like that, now."

Sylas sighs, "He may be an issue in the future, you know."

He starts moving to get ready for bed now.

"Darling, he's a boy," Delilah rolls her eyes, "I think I'm capable of killing him if he really scares you so much, you big baby batling, you."

_"De!"_

Sylas was a tad frustrated with how his wife was treating this all as nothing.

He was genuinely worried that their plans would be foiled by Percy and his friends, especially now they have the Half Elf hostage.

Vecna would not be pleased if they were stopped or slowed down by this.

"You worry too much, Love, everything will be fine." Delilah says, throwing her husband a gentle smile over her shoulder.

"And if something goes wrong, you have permission to drain me dry." She winks.

Sylas groans, hiding his face in his hands mid-way through removing his shirt.

"You'll be the re-death of me, Woman." He mutters.

Delilah grins like a predator watching her prey, chuckling again, "I plan on it, Sylas."

_"Delilah!!"_

**Author's Note:**

> (1) Capri Sun is a brand of fruit juice often served in thin, magically enchanted foil packets and are only really sold around the Wynandir area of Wildemount.


End file.
